1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a product sampling arrangement with interconnected, miniature, disposable product samplers and, more particularly, to such samplers wherein lipsticks are molded in situ therein. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a method of making and a method of using the samplers.
2. Description of Related Art
Potential lipstick purchasers typically apply colored lipsticks to their lips or the backs of their hands prior to purchase for viewing the actual colors applied thereto. The colors displayed on the lipstick packages or presented by inspection of the lipstick itself may not be exactly duplicated after the lipsticks are actually applied to a person's lips or hands. Should one purchaser sample a lipstick intended for sale and then decide not to buy it, an unhygienic condition prevails for the next purchaser. Also, a retailer does not usually wish to sell a used product. Furthermore, purchasers have a right to obtain untampered, unopened products.
The art has proposed allowing purchasers to examine lipstick colors prior to purchase by providing miniature lipstick samplers which are used once and then discarded. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,626,927; 1,894,727; 2,042,584; 2,547,252; 4,471,874 and 4,714,160 are all illustrative of matchbook-style lipstick samplers, each including a plurality of rods, each having lipstick-coated ends for one-time application to one's lips. However, such lipstick-coated rods do not provide a sufficiently broad wiping area to spread the lipstick uniformly over the entire width and length of one's lips, at least not by a single stroke. Also, the lipstick-coated rods tend to smear on nearby surfaces of the matchbook dispensers, thereby making a mess.
Other lipstick samplers are disclose, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,933,538; 3,591,298 and 4,711,354. The lipsticks in these samplers are protected by an overlying cover which may either be friction-fit or sonically welded to a lipstick holder. However, the friction-fit lipstick samplers have the drawback that they may tend to fall off, thereby leaving the lipstick unprotected. The sonically-welded lipstick samplers are removed by breaking the sonic welds, typically by twisting off the covers. However, experience has shown that such twisted-off covers mar the lipsticks during removal of the covers, again making a mess.
Still other lipstick samplers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,088,076 and 2,509,631, as well as U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. D-94,875; D-129,923 and D-188,870. A lipstick display package wherein the colored lipstick is viewable through a transparent cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,545.